My hair is growing!

My hair is slowly beginning to come back. It's patchy, but I'm going to stop shaving it now and just let it grow in. If you only knew how bad I want a hair line! haha!

Today marks my half way point. I'll be 15 treatments in and will have 15 more to go. Last Wednesday marked my 7 month anniversary since being diagnosed. It's funny because I look back and it seems just like yesterday, but at the same time thinking back to the chaos that July and August brought me feels like decades ago. It's very easy for me to block out the pain of chemo and all those decisions I had to make early on.

As I write this post, the sun is rising and shining on my bald head! Today is a good day. Today I choose to be grateful for what I have and not what I don't have. I hope you all do the same.

Have a great weekend everyone! GO RAPS GO!

I can walk!!!

Yesterday afternoon I decided to test the new strength in my legs. I walked to the St. Lawrence Market. I know this isn't far, but just walking a few steps would tire me out, so this was my small test. Guess what? I DID IT!! I walked to the market, around the market and back home with no pain! It felt like decades ago since I've been out on the downtown streets enjoying the day....and what a beautiful day it was yesterday! The sun was shining happily on me! :)

My legs can walk and I'm so relieved! I still get very stiff every now and then, but who cares, I can walk!

New Photos

I brought my camera in to Princess Margaret yesterday. I only took a few shots, but I plan to bring it in again to get pictures of the rest of my team.

As for me, I'm still doing well. My skin is beginning to get a pinkish hue to it, but nothing to complain about yet. My legs are doing much better also. I'm able to walk up stairs without as much muscle pain, but I'm still out of breath.

I read an article on WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/content/article/99/105134.htm) that basically said that olive oil dramatically reduces the production of HER2 protein and that hand in hand with Herceptin will increase the effectiveness of the drug while helping protect my heart. SO, I've been trying to consume more olive oil. Yesterday, I wasn't able to eat much, so at night I took a tablespoon out, poured the olive oil, took a deep breath and just downed it! I drank a glass of water to chase it, but there's got to be a better way! haha! I must say though that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm sure it sounds alot worse too. I told my oncologist that I will drink a bottle if that's what it takes. So if any of you have suggestions other than the normal "with bread or in a salad", I'd be glad to hear from you!

And what ever happened to HULKSTER? I think my curiosity killed the cat! LOL!



From the main floor looking up:



This is Treatment Room #14. I receive my treatment in this room daily and shown here are two of the approximately six rotating Radiation Therapists that I see.



Bye for now!

Funny Friday

I received this from my dreadlock, Redd. It's so true!!! Enjoy!

Mammograms

Many women are anxious about mammograms, but there is no need to worry. By taking a few minutes each day for a week preceding the exam and doing the following exercises, you will be totally prepared for the test and best of all, you can do these simple exercises right in and around your home.

EXERCISE ONE:

Open your refrigerator door and insert one breast in door. Shut the door as hard as possible and lean on the door for good measure.

Hold that position for five seconds. Repeat again in case the first time wasn't effective enough.

EXERCISE TWO:

Visit your garage at 3AM when the temperature of the cement floor is just perfect. Take off all your clothes and lie comfortably on the floor with one breast wedged under the rear tire of the car. Ask a friend to slowly back the car up until your breast is sufficiently flattened and chilled. Turn over and repeat with the other breast.

EXERCISE THREE:

Freeze two metal bookends overnight. Strip to the waist. Invite a stranger into the room. Press the bookends against one of your breasts.

Smash the bookends together as hard as you can. Set up an appointment with the stranger to meet next year and do it again.

YOU ARE TOTALLY PREPARED!

AND, just a thought for all the women out there........

MENtal illness, MENstrual cramps, MENtal breakdown,
MENopause............

Ever notice how all of women's problems start with men?.........And

When we have real trouble it's HISterectomy!!!!

Hospital Whore

At 9am tomorrow morning I start Herceptin at St. Mike's Hospital. After that, I'm off to PMH for radiation, then my afternoon nap. ;) Friday, I have an echocardiogram in the morning at St. Mike's and then radiation afterwards.

I'm still doing well considering I'm eight treatments in. My legs remain simply pathetic, but my skin isn't burned or peeling yet.

I hope the Raptors kick the Nets in the you know what!

Just me,
Charlie V. ;)

Herceptin: Decided

My oncologist wanted to see me this afternoon to further discuss my starting Herceptin. I've been told on many occasions how important it is that I start this treatment to prevent recurrance. You know, it's just tough making this decision because I want to make the right one and only God knows which one that is! Risk of heart failure or cancer? hmm... Both my oncologist and I have decided to go ahead with it and to monitor my heart frequently during the treatment. If my heart drops dramatically with the first treatment, then we're going to stop. My appointment to see the cardiologist is March 22nd (yes, that's the earliest appointment) and I still plan to get his/her opinion. As for my radiation oncologist, he feels comfortable because the radiation doesn't hit my heart. He told me that the heart will repair itself. There's a very small chance that it won't, like 1-2%. So I start this Thursday after radiation.

As for the radiation, I'm on week #2. Skin is good and no real side effects yet. I feel random tingles in my breast, but it's nothing painful or bothersome. I meet weekly with the oncologist there, so tomorrow I'll be meeting with him. My legs are the same and I'm getting tons of hot and cold flashes. It must be the temporary menopausal side effects. YIKES!

Until then...keep smilin'!

Update

After today's round of radiation, I will have 25 more to go. So far, so good. I feel no side effects yet. My skin is normal and I've been applying aloe vera gel twice a day to prevent drying and peeling. My legs are still bad and actually today I'm going to the Ministry of Transportation to get an application for a temporary disabled parking permit. They've actually renamed it to, "Accessible Parking Permit".

My appointment is at 9:15am this morning, so I have to get ready now. Have a good weekend! BYE!!

Jen

Radiation #1

I was at the hospital for a little over an hour and a half because I wanted to see my oncologist there to ask him about my heart prior to starting radiation. He was impressed that I asked him and told me that he and his team were actually discussing whether they should post-pone radiation until I complete Herceptin or continue. He brought me into his office and showed me the radiation plan that they came up with and why they decided that to continue with treatment. I was shown the CT scans of my body (very cool images by the way) and how they plan on attacking my breast. I wish this site and drawing tool so I can show you, but regardless, they were able to position the machine so that it doesn't hit my heart. There's a very tiny part of my breast that's close to the middle of my chest that will not get hit, but it's a risk worth taking so that my heart doesn't get damaged. He feels strongly that the chances of it recurring by missing that small part of my breast are very little to none. You can imagine the relief I felt hearing that my heart isn't going to be further damaged!

So in I went! I can't tell you enough how much I love the facilities at Princess Margaret. Anyway, I was in there for roughly 25 minutes, 21 of those minutes were spent measuring and positioning the machine. The adjustments they made were so minute. This goes to show how accurate they must be. The room is filled with laser beams pointed at the bed (or me) to help guide them. They used my tattoos as a guide, double checked it with their computer, then took an x-ray of me to further ensure that the outer markings coincided with my organs on the inside. They all left the room and controlled the other four minutes from outside through a window. There are cameras in the room with me with mics if I needed to scream, "HELP" or "STOP, I NEED TO PEE" or something like that. LOL! The machine came across to my right, around the two o'clock position and shot the rays in for about a minute and half or so, then turned around to my left around the seven o'clock position and shot the rays again. I don't feel anything, but I can hear the machine when it's on by it's buzzing sound. The three technicians came back and off I went.

My appointment today is at 3:45pm. Until then, I'm going to rest. I'm tired, as usual!

A New Beginning

I'm on my way to my first radiation treatment at Princess Margaret. I'm feeling pretty good and have no anxieties. Because my legs were so weak this weekend, I spent the entire weekend at home lying down and it gave me time to centre myself and prepare mentally for these next six weeks. I got ready this morning listening to "I Will Get There" on repeat and I can honestly say that I'm ready for this next phase.

I'll let you know how it went when I get back.

Jen

Update: My Oncologist

I've been getting alot of questions about my oncologist. Funny enough, I wrote about my discontent with her on this blog and sure enough she's been great since. The need for me to change is gone, for now at least. I have to give it to her, she knows her stuff. And as of late, she's been emotionally comforting. What a weight off my shoulders!

As for my ankles I forgot to ask yesterday. You know just when I think the chemo brain is gone DORY comes back in full effect. AND to top that off, I had a bone scan last Friday and I completely forgot to follow up on the results! I left a message yesterday to talk to my oncologist and am just waiting for her call back.



Have a good weekend everyone and thanks again for being with me on this journey. Your comments really comfort me and help me back up when I'm down. You guys ROCK!

MUAH!

Dory

Heart Results & A Funky Dream

There has been no change in my heart. My ejection fraction came in at 60% again. I've been referred to a cardiologist to get a third opinion or to perhaps see if there's something I can take that will protect my heart while on Herceptin. On Monday when I start radiation I'll get a second opinion from my radiation oncologist. I'm interested to hear what he has to say since radiation will also be affecting my heart.

Now for the dream! So last night I had this dream. You know one of those dreams where you wake up and it just continues when you fall back asleep? I must have woken up over six times last night because it was really hot in my room. Anyway, I don't remember what I dreamt of, but throughout the night I kept waking up thinking (and maybe even saying) "CARPE DIEM". When I finally got up in the morning, again, I said to myself, "CARPE DIEM". I've always heard this term, but never knew what it meant or how to even spell it. So half awake I walk over to the computer to look it up. I know there are many of you that already know what this means, but for those of you who don't I went to www.answers.com and magically knew how to spell the darn thing and go and see for yourself what I got!

"God works in mysterious ways" and there's nothing more clear than spelling it right out for me! Nothing could be more fitting!